BSI Awards 2026 officially opens for submissions on November 5, 2025, marking the fifth season of the reputable Marketing award organized by Buzzmetrics. This year’s theme - “Social-First. Real Impact.” - brings forward major enhancements in evaluation criteria, award structure, and jury scale to ensure quality, transparency, and the recognition of real impact in Social Media Marketing campaigns.

This article also details the registration process for brands to review and prepare effectively.

1. New Positioning: “Social-First. Real Impact.”

In previous seasons, under the positioning “Data Thinker, Social Insider,” BSI Awards aimed to honor campaigns that leveraged data to deliver meaningful value to users. At that time, simply establishing a strong presence and building communities on social media was considered a major achievement.

Entering the fifth season, social media has evolved beyond presence - it now influences and contributes to every touchpoint across the consumer journey. Today, businesses increasingly treat social media not as a channel, but as their primary foundation to drive business - the era of “Social-First.”

However, in a “Social-First” world, measuring success only by noise and visibility cannot reflect “Real Impact.” From the BSI Awards’ perspective, the real impact of Social-First. Marketing must be evaluated across three core objectives, each measured through a combination of diverse metrics:

1. Awareness – The ability to be recalled by users
2. Perception & Behavior Shift – The ability to change how users think
3. Conversion Acceleration – The ability to turn users into brand customers

This is the spirit that defines BSI Awards 2026: redefining “Real Impact” in a Social-First era - one that is rich with data but easy to get lost in. All major changes in this year’s scoring structure revolve around this core positioning: Social-First. Real Impact.

2. Refined & Transparent Evaluation System

With a new positioning comes an updated evaluation structure. All campaigns submitted to BSI Awards 2026 will go through two rounds of expert assessment. Campaigns that pass the preliminary round will enter the shortlist before proceeding to the Final Round for detailed evaluation by the jury.

As in previous years, 20% of the campaign score will be based on Buzzmetrics’ objective metrics. However, this year’s system has been enhanced and centered around Qualified Users. The new methodology, combined with data from E-Commerce, allows the jury to focus on the quality of user-brand connections, rather than mere impressions or volume of conversations.

This reflects the positioning “Social-First. Real Impact.”-reminding brands that an outstanding campaign is not just one that makes noise, but one that makes a real difference - for the brand, users, and business results.

3. Expanded & Enhanced Award Categories

Beyond the traditional award categories, BSI Awards 2026 introduces three new categories that reflect the key shifts and rising trends in the industry:

• Marketer of the Year: A new category designed to honor the most outstanding brand of the year. After years of preparation, this fifth season marks the first time BSI Awards has built enough resources, data, and methodology to officially recognize comprehensive effort and industry impact at the brand level.
• Commercial Show of the Year: Introduced in response to the rapid digital transformation of TV shows in Vietnam, which has resulted in stronger competition and greater social influence than ever before. This category highlights shows that successfully connect with audiences and generate positive social impact.
• The Best A.I-Powered Social Media Campaign: A.I. has become unavoidable across society - including Marketing. As brands and agencies increasingly adopt A.I., BSI Awards aims to spotlight innovative and effective campaigns that leverage A.I. - from personalized user experiences to optimized media performance.

“Marketer of the Year” will be part of the Special Awards. “Commercial Show of the Year” will fall under the Non-Competing Categories, while “The Best A.I-Powered Social Media Campaign” will be included in the Competing Categories - the group that is eligible for submissions.

Additionally, there are 6 returning Competing Categories:

1. The Best Social Media Campaign
2. The Best Innovative Social Media Campaign
3. The Best Advocacy & Influencer Strategy
4. The Best Event with Social Media Strategy
5. The Best Social & Commerce Integration
6. The Best Societal Impact Campaign

Each Competing Category will feature Gold, Silver, and Bronze awards, evaluated through two rounds by a jury of nearly 90 industry experts. Buzzmetrics will supply metrics based on Qualified Users & E-Commerce data to support the evaluation process.

4. Doubled Jury Scale

One of the largest upgrades this year is the significant expansion of the jury, which has nearly doubled - from 44 members last season to almost 90 industry experts. Each jury represents a leading brand or agency and has established notable achievements in their respective fields. The jury will be organized as follows:

• 70+ experts will join the Preliminary Round, selecting the most outstanding campaigns from hundreds of submissions across 7 Competing Categories.
• 16 experts will join the Final Round, engaging in in-depth discussions to decide the winning campaigns - the ones that truly embody “Social-First. Real Impact.”

This expansion mirrors the rapid growth of BSI Awards over the years. From only 16 campaigns in its debut season to over 170 campaigns last year, the award is positioned for another breakthrough year. With more jurors, evaluation becomes more well-rounded and multidimensional - spanning strategy, creativity, and real-world effectiveness.

5. Key Dates & Events

BSI Awards 2026 is open to campaigns that took place between January 1, 2025 - February 28, 2026. Submit your entry at: 👉 https://tinyurl.com/BSIAEntry

📌 Registration timeline: opens on November 5, 2025 and closes on March 31, 2026.

📌 Evaluation period: conducted over two months, allowing the jury sufficient time to analyze the data and assess each campaign fairly and comprehensively.

📌 Award Ceremony: expected to take place on June 25, 2026, welcoming over 1,000 guests, featuring agency showcase booths and expert-led discussions - creating valuable networking and learning opportunities for the Marketing community.

6. Five-Step Registration Process for BSI Awards 2026

📍 STEP 1: Explore the Award Categories

This year, the Competing Categories include one new addition - The Best A.I-Powered Social Media Campaign - alongside the existing six categories. Each category has its own requirements and evaluation criteria. Brands are encouraged to review all details carefully to select the most suitable category.

• Category information: 👉 https://tinyurl.com/BSIA2026Categories
  

📍 STEP 2: Review the Submission Guideline

All essential information - including judging structure, key timelines, eligibility requirements, and payment process-is consolidated in the official BSI Awards guideline.

• Submission guideline: 👉 https://tinyurl.com/BSIA2026Guideline
  

📍 STEP 3: Register an Account & Provide Campaign Information

Following the official instructions and template, brands will provide campaign details for submission. To build a strong Case Study, brands may request consultation from the BSI Awards team, who will offer suggestions to refine the submission.

• Register for a submission account: 👉 https://tinyurl.com/BSIA2026Submit
  

📍  STEP 4: Select Categories & Submit Your Case Study

With support from the advisory team, brands finalize their submission details, choose the categories they wish to enter, and prepare to submit their Case Study.

• For reference, brands can review Case Studies from previous winning campaigns: 👉 https://bsiawards.buzzmetrics.com/case-library
  

📍 STEP 5: Complete the Submission Process

Once the Case Study is submitted, brands will receive a confirmation email along with payment instructions. The submission process is complete after payment is finalized.